Living Out the Life of Christ

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

February 16, 2020

in Life Worth Giving

No Comments

926

WATCH

6th Sunday of Epiphany
Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines
February 16, 2020

Readings: Ecclesiasticus 15: 11-20
1 Corinthians 3:19
Matthew 5: 21- 24; 27- 30; 33-37

As human beings, we go through events sometimes without really understanding what they mean to us. In order to grasp the full purpose or significance of the events, we need to return to the beginning and know the background. When God created us in His image and likeness, He formed man from the dust of the earth but did not stop there. He breathed His very life into man. Before man failed, God would walk with him in the cool of the evening. God and man had a relationship.

But because of man’s failure, that privilege was taken away from Him and sin took over. Since God loved man so much, He restored man into His family by sending Christ to be born amongst us to redeem us. If there is anything that should be implanted deep within our hearts, it is that God is with us. Wherever we go, he is always with us. He is with us through our highs and lows. If God is for us, who can be against us?

The breath of life given to us should give us the strength and wisdom. We should see ourselves as like Christ. God wants to talk and walk with us. He wanted the relationship restored and this is why the calendar year starts with Epiphany after Advent and Christmas because He wants us to know that He is with us. God is with us all the time wherever we may be. He has enabled us and equipped us to do His work. God destroyed sin and forgave us. God made us holy and righteous. He gave us faith. He speaks the truth when He says we are a blessed people. Our brain is like a computer which has to be programmed. But it has to be programmed with God’s Wisdom.

2 Peter 1: 3 “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” We have been given the ability to choose life or death. We need to choose life. This very power given to us is the same power He used to create the earth. We should be thankful instead of being beggars.

John 17: 22 “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.” The glory he gave us is so we could have unity. Christ gave us life. The life He has, we should have. Epiphany is telling us that God is with us so there shouldn’t be any room for anxieties and worries.

God showed us His goodness towards the children of Israel who were in slavery to Egypt. But God, through Moses, led them out of Egypt and crossed the red sea. And yet, in the wilderness, the people were still complaining. You can almost hear the Lord saying, “What more could I do for you? I have given you everything. I have done everything good for you.” In our lives today, when we start complaining and murmuring, God is telling us the same thing. “What more could I do for you?”

nbsp;

It isn’t what you know that’s important. It is WHO you know. We may have knowledge of many matters. We may even know the right people. The right connections. But it is WHO you know that’s going to save you. All the other things will not.

1 John 4: 17 “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” God gives us commandments through Christ. Love God with all your heart, soul and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. What God has done for us, we should do to others. People will know you by your fruit. It’s worthless if we know all the doctrines and theologies but do not live them out. If we do not apply God’s principles or put action into what we hear from His Word, our Christianity is useless. If we do not love, It is tantamount to nothing.

We get so tied up with things that are temporary, we forget the things which are truly important. Prove the will of God, that which is good, acceptable and perfect. We have been challenged to live out the life of Christ. This should be our primary goal in life.